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DynamoDB

DynamoDB CLI Reference

AWS CLI commands for DynamoDB

Complete reference for AWS DynamoDB CLI commands with examples.

Table Operations

Create Table

# Simple table with partition key only
aws dynamodb create-table \
  --table-name Users \
  --attribute-definitions AttributeName=userId,AttributeType=S \
  --key-schema AttributeName=userId,KeyType=HASH \
  --billing-mode PAY_PER_REQUEST

# Table with composite key
aws dynamodb create-table \
  --table-name Orders \
  --attribute-definitions \
    AttributeName=customerId,AttributeType=S \
    AttributeName=orderId,AttributeType=S \
  --key-schema \
    AttributeName=customerId,KeyType=HASH \
    AttributeName=orderId,KeyType=RANGE \
  --billing-mode PAY_PER_REQUEST

# With provisioned capacity
aws dynamodb create-table \
  --table-name Products \
  --attribute-definitions AttributeName=productId,AttributeType=S \
  --key-schema AttributeName=productId,KeyType=HASH \
  --provisioned-throughput ReadCapacityUnits=10,WriteCapacityUnits=5

Describe Table

aws dynamodb describe-table --table-name Users

# Get only table status
aws dynamodb describe-table \
  --table-name Users \
  --query 'Table.TableStatus'

List Tables

aws dynamodb list-tables

# With pagination
aws dynamodb list-tables --limit 10

Delete Table

aws dynamodb delete-table --table-name Users

Update Table

# Change to on-demand billing
aws dynamodb update-table \
  --table-name Users \
  --billing-mode PAY_PER_REQUEST

# Update provisioned capacity
aws dynamodb update-table \
  --table-name Users \
  --provisioned-throughput ReadCapacityUnits=20,WriteCapacityUnits=10

Item Operations

Put Item

aws dynamodb put-item \
  --table-name Users \
  --item '{
    "userId": {"S": "user-001"},
    "name": {"S": "John Doe"},
    "email": {"S": "john@example.com"},
    "age": {"N": "30"},
    "active": {"BOOL": true}
  }'

# With condition (only if not exists)
aws dynamodb put-item \
  --table-name Users \
  --item '{"userId": {"S": "user-001"}, "name": {"S": "John"}}' \
  --condition-expression "attribute_not_exists(userId)"

Get Item

# Simple get
aws dynamodb get-item \
  --table-name Users \
  --key '{"userId": {"S": "user-001"}}'

# With composite key
aws dynamodb get-item \
  --table-name Orders \
  --key '{
    "customerId": {"S": "cust-001"},
    "orderId": {"S": "order-001"}
  }'

# Get specific attributes
aws dynamodb get-item \
  --table-name Users \
  --key '{"userId": {"S": "user-001"}}' \
  --projection-expression "name, email"

# Strongly consistent read
aws dynamodb get-item \
  --table-name Users \
  --key '{"userId": {"S": "user-001"}}' \
  --consistent-read

Update Item

# Update single attribute
aws dynamodb update-item \
  --table-name Users \
  --key '{"userId": {"S": "user-001"}}' \
  --update-expression "SET #n = :name" \
  --expression-attribute-names '{"#n": "name"}' \
  --expression-attribute-values '{":name": {"S": "Jane Doe"}}'

# Update multiple attributes
aws dynamodb update-item \
  --table-name Users \
  --key '{"userId": {"S": "user-001"}}' \
  --update-expression "SET age = :age, #s = :status" \
  --expression-attribute-names '{"#s": "status"}' \
  --expression-attribute-values '{":age": {"N": "31"}, ":status": {"S": "active"}}'

# Increment a counter
aws dynamodb update-item \
  --table-name Products \
  --key '{"productId": {"S": "prod-001"}}' \
  --update-expression "SET viewCount = viewCount + :inc" \
  --expression-attribute-values '{":inc": {"N": "1"}}'

# Add to a list
aws dynamodb update-item \
  --table-name Users \
  --key '{"userId": {"S": "user-001"}}' \
  --update-expression "SET tags = list_append(if_not_exists(tags, :empty), :tag)" \
  --expression-attribute-values '{":tag": {"L": [{"S": "premium"}]}, ":empty": {"L": []}}'

# Return updated values
aws dynamodb update-item \
  --table-name Users \
  --key '{"userId": {"S": "user-001"}}' \
  --update-expression "SET age = :age" \
  --expression-attribute-values '{":age": {"N": "32"}}' \
  --return-values ALL_NEW

Delete Item

aws dynamodb delete-item \
  --table-name Users \
  --key '{"userId": {"S": "user-001"}}'

# With condition
aws dynamodb delete-item \
  --table-name Users \
  --key '{"userId": {"S": "user-001"}}' \
  --condition-expression "active = :false" \
  --expression-attribute-values '{":false": {"BOOL": false}}'

Query Operations

Query by Partition Key

aws dynamodb query \
  --table-name Orders \
  --key-condition-expression "customerId = :cid" \
  --expression-attribute-values '{":cid": {"S": "cust-001"}}'

Query with Sort Key Condition

# Begins with
aws dynamodb query \
  --table-name Orders \
  --key-condition-expression "customerId = :cid AND begins_with(orderId, :prefix)" \
  --expression-attribute-values '{
    ":cid": {"S": "cust-001"},
    ":prefix": {"S": "2024-"}
  }'

# Between
aws dynamodb query \
  --table-name Orders \
  --key-condition-expression "customerId = :cid AND orderId BETWEEN :start AND :end" \
  --expression-attribute-values '{
    ":cid": {"S": "cust-001"},
    ":start": {"S": "2024-01-01"},
    ":end": {"S": "2024-12-31"}
  }'

Query with Filter

aws dynamodb query \
  --table-name Orders \
  --key-condition-expression "customerId = :cid" \
  --filter-expression "#s = :status" \
  --expression-attribute-names '{"#s": "status"}' \
  --expression-attribute-values '{
    ":cid": {"S": "cust-001"},
    ":status": {"S": "SHIPPED"}
  }'

Query Index

aws dynamodb query \
  --table-name Orders \
  --index-name StatusIndex \
  --key-condition-expression "#s = :status" \
  --expression-attribute-names '{"#s": "status"}' \
  --expression-attribute-values '{":status": {"S": "PENDING"}}'

Query with Pagination

# First page
aws dynamodb query \
  --table-name Orders \
  --key-condition-expression "customerId = :cid" \
  --expression-attribute-values '{":cid": {"S": "cust-001"}}' \
  --limit 10

# Next page (use LastEvaluatedKey from previous response)
aws dynamodb query \
  --table-name Orders \
  --key-condition-expression "customerId = :cid" \
  --expression-attribute-values '{":cid": {"S": "cust-001"}}' \
  --limit 10 \
  --exclusive-start-key '{"customerId": {"S": "cust-001"}, "orderId": {"S": "order-010"}}'

Scan Operations

# Simple scan
aws dynamodb scan --table-name Users

# Scan with filter
aws dynamodb scan \
  --table-name Users \
  --filter-expression "age > :minAge" \
  --expression-attribute-values '{":minAge": {"N": "25"}}'

# Scan with projection
aws dynamodb scan \
  --table-name Users \
  --projection-expression "userId, #n, email" \
  --expression-attribute-names '{"#n": "name"}'

# Parallel scan
aws dynamodb scan \
  --table-name Users \
  --total-segments 4 \
  --segment 0

Batch Operations

Batch Get

aws dynamodb batch-get-item \
  --request-items '{
    "Users": {
      "Keys": [
        {"userId": {"S": "user-001"}},
        {"userId": {"S": "user-002"}},
        {"userId": {"S": "user-003"}}
      ]
    }
  }'

Batch Write

aws dynamodb batch-write-item \
  --request-items '{
    "Users": [
      {"PutRequest": {"Item": {"userId": {"S": "user-004"}, "name": {"S": "Alice"}}}},
      {"PutRequest": {"Item": {"userId": {"S": "user-005"}, "name": {"S": "Bob"}}}},
      {"DeleteRequest": {"Key": {"userId": {"S": "user-001"}}}}
    ]
  }'

Transactions

TransactWrite

aws dynamodb transact-write-items \
  --transact-items '[
    {
      "Put": {
        "TableName": "Orders",
        "Item": {"customerId": {"S": "cust-001"}, "orderId": {"S": "order-new"}}
      }
    },
    {
      "Update": {
        "TableName": "Inventory",
        "Key": {"productId": {"S": "prod-001"}},
        "UpdateExpression": "SET quantity = quantity - :qty",
        "ExpressionAttributeValues": {":qty": {"N": "1"}}
      }
    }
  ]'

TransactGet

aws dynamodb transact-get-items \
  --transact-items '[
    {"Get": {"TableName": "Users", "Key": {"userId": {"S": "user-001"}}}},
    {"Get": {"TableName": "Orders", "Key": {"customerId": {"S": "cust-001"}, "orderId": {"S": "order-001"}}}}
  ]'

Global Secondary Index

Create GSI

aws dynamodb update-table \
  --table-name Orders \
  --attribute-definitions AttributeName=status,AttributeType=S \
  --global-secondary-index-updates '[
    {
      "Create": {
        "IndexName": "StatusIndex",
        "KeySchema": [{"AttributeName": "status", "KeyType": "HASH"}],
        "Projection": {"ProjectionType": "ALL"}
      }
    }
  ]'

Delete GSI

aws dynamodb update-table \
  --table-name Orders \
  --global-secondary-index-updates '[
    {"Delete": {"IndexName": "StatusIndex"}}
  ]'

Streams

# Enable streams
aws dynamodb update-table \
  --table-name Orders \
  --stream-specification StreamEnabled=true,StreamViewType=NEW_AND_OLD_IMAGES

# Describe stream
aws dynamodbstreams describe-stream \
  --stream-arn arn:aws:dynamodb:us-east-1:123456789012:table/Orders/stream/timestamp

TTL

# Enable TTL
aws dynamodb update-time-to-live \
  --table-name Sessions \
  --time-to-live-specification Enabled=true,AttributeName=expirationTime

# Describe TTL
aws dynamodb describe-time-to-live --table-name Sessions

Backups

# Create backup
aws dynamodb create-backup \
  --table-name Users \
  --backup-name Users-backup-2024

# List backups
aws dynamodb list-backups --table-name Users

# Restore from backup
aws dynamodb restore-table-from-backup \
  --target-table-name Users-restored \
  --backup-arn arn:aws:dynamodb:us-east-1:123456789012:table/Users/backup/backup-id

# Enable point-in-time recovery
aws dynamodb update-continuous-backups \
  --table-name Users \
  --point-in-time-recovery-specification PointInTimeRecoveryEnabled=true

Tags

# Add tags
aws dynamodb tag-resource \
  --resource-arn arn:aws:dynamodb:us-east-1:123456789012:table/Users \
  --tags Key=Environment,Value=Production

# List tags
aws dynamodb list-tags-of-resource \
  --resource-arn arn:aws:dynamodb:us-east-1:123456789012:table/Users

DynamoDB Capacity

Understanding and managing DynamoDB throughput, scaling, and cost optimization

AWS RDS

Managed Relational Database Service

On this page

Table Operations
Create Table
Describe Table
List Tables
Delete Table
Update Table
Item Operations
Put Item
Get Item
Update Item
Delete Item
Query Operations
Query by Partition Key
Query with Sort Key Condition
Query with Filter
Query Index
Query with Pagination
Scan Operations
Batch Operations
Batch Get
Batch Write
Transactions
TransactWrite
TransactGet
Global Secondary Index
Create GSI
Delete GSI
Streams
TTL
Backups
Tags